Poldark Episode 10 Review: Turmoil at Trenwith

Once again, we were met with the beautiful sights of the Cornish coastline. Not so lovely was witnessing George Warleggan looking so homely at Trenwith – now married to the woman he’s always longed for. Clearly having reason to be smug – there was really no need for him to get rid of Francis’ portrait, which was evidently dear to Elizabeth and Geoffrey Charles.

At the beginning of the episode, George was dropping hints of his wishes to be a father. ‘Yet it is a lonely thing to be an only child’ he said, after Elizabeth remarked on Geoffrey Charles’ ability to play on his own. It was either a referral to his experience without any siblings or a massive hint for Elizabeth, and it wasn’t exactly a shock when she announced her pregnancy to George in the grounds of Trenwith.

Yet – true to form – Aunt Agatha was around to amusingly voice her opinion of George when he told Elizabeth that Geoffrey Charles should be sent to boarding school. “What did you expect, when you made a pact with the devil?” – We clearly understand her strong feelings against the man. George continued to assert himself and push the boundaries as he sealed off the grounds of Trenwith, not letting any ‘common folk’ pass by peacefully.

Paul Daniel was the first to discover this as he was attacked by one of George’s paid brutes. Thankfully, Doctor Dwight was on hand to mend him, but Jud wasn’t too pleased when he heard of the new arrangements, resulting in a rant and rave, which is something you’d normally expect from him. “Warleggan do think he can do as ‘e please.” His anger was fuelled further when Demelza was shot in the arm, falling to the ground on the outskirts of Trenwith after paying Elizabeth an overdue visit.

With Ross and Demelza still divided, we had to look elsewhere for romance, chiefly to Dwight and Caroline. Whilst hearts broke as Dwight signed up for the Navy, signing his name on that ever so scary documentation, Ross managed to bring the sweet couple back together. Though Dwight’s still off to sea, he did promise to return to Caroline ever so sweetly.Elsewhere, Ross and George continued to exchange notes like a pair of angry schoolgirls over Geoffrey Charles’ shares in the mine. The tension built as Ross visited Trenwith and George goaded him, saying, ‘You would not dare lay a finger on me’, only pushing tensions higher by issuing a parting blow of ‘Go back to your scullery maid’. That was too much for Ross, who finally snapped, resulting in punched faces, Ross being slammed against a clock and George’s head being shoved into the fireplace. Just another normal day at Trenwith.

So Ross wasn’t having the greatest of days, which brought the old red uniform out as he contemplated returning to war with his buddy Dwight. But whilst Ross was considering his options, Jud and his friends were storming Trenwith, setting fires to the fence and storming up to the house with pitchforks and spades.

Demelza tried to warn George and Elizabeth but they rudely dismissed her, and it all came to a head as George called for help from Tankard and co, going outside to meet the riot head on with guns. Leave it to Ross to save the day, as he galloped up to Trenwith on his horse and calmed the rioters down. “You know I could call them back at any instant”, Ross said, showing his influence over the villagers and forcing George to ungraciously back down.

Thankfully, hearts were mended as Ross and Demelza reunited, sharing a kiss on the Cornish hillside after Ross finally said that she was his real love, and not Elizabeth. It was the perfect end to what’s been a turbulent and controversial series. It’s sad to see series two over so fast but we very much look forward to the third series. We were treated to a sneak peek of what’s yet to come and it looks like there are very exciting times ahead. Poldark will return in 2017!